Plaiting attachment for sewing-machines.



J. H. MOFFATT.

PLAITING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAILZB. 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH cu, WASHINGTON, n c.

J. R. MOFFATT.

PLAITING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.29, T910.

on m 3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

cuuumm ILANOGIIAPH CUHWASIIINGTON. n. c

J. R. MOFFATT. I PLAITING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES. I APPLICATION FILED MAR.29, 1910. Llfifi ggfi, Patented Dec. 28, 1-915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASNINOTDN. u. c.

' 'rtrrno sans annur FFT@E.

JAMES B. IMOFFATT, O13 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PLAITING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, T915.

Application filed March 29, 1910. Serial No. 552,214,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Janus R. Morm'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plaiting Attachments for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and. useful improvements in plaiting attachments for sewing machines, such as is shown and described in Patent No. 1,103,663, granted to Joseph H. De Nike July 14th, 1914, and has for an object to provide an attachment wherein the plait may be folded over members that are movable toward and from each other for adjusting the size of the plait, which members are separated by manually operated means, and automatically closed upon the releasing of the manually operated means.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plaiting attachment which has adjustable plait forming members with a separating plate, which plait forming members and separating plate are provided with finger pieces located adjacent each other so that said plait forming members may be readily adjustable by one hand of the operator.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a plaiting attachment which has adjustable plait forming members with a separating plate that is extended so as to cover the space between the adjustable plait forming members.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully described. a

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention; Figure 1 is an end view of a portion of a sewing machine with my attachment applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4 is a detail in section showing the manner of attaching one of the folding blades to its supporting bracket. Fig. 5 is a view showing the manner of attaching the supporting bracket for the folding members to the head of the machine. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the plait forming members and the manner of adjusting the same in dotted lines. Fig. 7 is a similar view of a portion of the plait forming members on an enlarged scale. Fig. 8 is a detail showing the manner of attaching the supporting yoke or bracket for the folding blades, to the supporting bracket attached to the head of the machine. Fig. 9 shows a section through the plait forming members and folding blades on the line 0000 Fig. 3. Fig. 10 shows a plait formed by my attachment. Fig. 11 is a sectional view through the plait forming members and the separating plate.

My improved plaiting attachment is designed to be attached to any type of sewing machine, but as herein shown is applied to a two needle machine having needles a, a, which are carried by a needle bar I) reciproeating in the head of the machine in the ordinary manner. A presser foot 0 is carried by a presser bar d. The usual four motion feed 6 cooperates with the presser foot to carry the material to the machine.

My improved plaiting attachment consists of plait forming members 1 and 2, which are so mounted as to lie substantially in the same plane and are capable of being adjusted as clearly shown in dotted lines in Figs. 6 and 7. The plait forming members are carried by a bracket 3 which is forked, and attached to the cloth plate of the machine by suitable screws 4, l. The bracket 3 at its outer end is bent upward and backward as at 5, and carries a supporting plate 6. The member 1 is pivoted at 7 to the supporting plate, and the member 2 is pivoted at 8 to the supporting plate. The members 1 and 2 project outwardly beyond the pivots 7 and 8, and a spring 9 is interposed between the outer ends and operates to normally hold the inner ends of the plait forming members 1 and 2 in contact as shown in Fig. 6.

The spring 9 as herein shown is a coil spring which is seated in suitable recesses formed in the inner faces of the plait forming members 1 and 2. The plait forming member 2 is provided with a finger piece 11, while the plait forming member 1 has a similar finger piece 12. The operator may grasp the finger pieces 11 and 12 and readily press the outer ends of the plait forming members toward each other, thus compressing the spring 9 and separating the forward end of the plait forming members.

A stop 13 limits the movement of the plait forming members 1 and 2, about their pivotal supports. The forward end of the plait forming members 1 and 2 extend to a point in front of the presser foot. Cooperating with the plait forming members 1 and 2, are folding blades 14 and 15. These folding blades 14 and 15 are carried by the outer ends of a supporting yoke or bracket 16. The yoke or bracket 16 is provided with a slot 17, (see Fig. 8), and is connected to a bracket 18 by means of a screw 19. This connection allows a vertical adjustment of the yoke or bracket 16. The bracket 18 is secured to the head of the machine by suitable screws 19. The folding blade 1a is connected to the yoke or bracket 16 by means of a slot 20, and screw 21 (see Fig. 4:). A plate 22 engages the screw 21 and is bent upwardly at its outer end and forked as at 23. The forked end 23 of the plate 22 engages a groove in the head of a screw 24, which is threaded intothe bracket 16. By loosening the screw 21 and turning the screw 24-, it

will readily be seen that the blade let may be positively adjusted relative to the sup porting bracket 6, and by tightening the screw 21, held in its adjusted positions. A similar adjustment is provided for the blade 15. The folding blades 14 and 15 are so disposed as to eXtend underneath the plait forming members and the fabric in forming the plait is passed over the top of the plait forming members and carried underneath the same or around the plait forming members'by the plait folding blades as is common in this type of folding attachment.

As a means for adjusting the plait forming members vertically, I have provided the bracket 3 with a screw 25 which is rigidly connected to the bracket. A thumb nut 26 is threaded on to the screw 25 and bears at its upper end against the backwardly bent portion of the bracket. By turning the nut 26 the same is moved up and down on the screw 25, and the bent portion of the bracket separated from the body thereof thus lifting or depressing the supporting plate 6 and the plait forming members carried thereby.

As a means for adjusting the plait forming members I have provided a separating plate 27. Said separating plate as shown in Fig. 3, is provided with aslot 28, and a slot 29. The supporting plate 6 carries an upwardly projecting stud 30, which normally lies between the plait forming members 1 and 2, and serves as a stop for centrally positioning the plait forming members when the same are in contact with each other. Said stud 30 also receives a screw 31 which extends through the slot 29 in the separating plate 27, and serves as a means for guiding the separating plate. A screw 32 passes through the slot 28 and through cut away portions in the plaiting members 1 and 2, into the support 6, and serves as a second means for guiding the movements of the supporting plate 27. These two screws will cause the separating plate to move toward and from the stitching mechanism in a line parallel with the line of feed.

The plait forming members 1 and 2 are provided with oppositely disposed serrated cut away portions 33 and 34. These cut away portions are shaped so as to gradually diverge from each other from the outer end toward the inner end of the plait forming members. A downwardly projecting lug 35 carried by the separating plate 27 lies bctween the plait forming members 1 and 2 and in the cut away portions 33 and 34-. When the lug 35 is at the forward end of the cut away portions as shown in Fig. 6, the inner edges of the plait forming members 1 and 2 are in contact. The separating plate 27 is at this time in a position shown in Fig. 3. The forward end of the separating plate is tapered to a point and extends substantially to the forward end of the plait forming members, when the same are located with their edges in contact or closed. By sliding the separating plate 27 outward the lug or separating device 35 is moved along the cut away portion between the plait forming members 1 and 2 from one serration to another and thus operates to separate the members or spread the same against the action of the spring 9. The separating plate 27 is provided with a cut away portion or finger piece 36, which is located adjacent the finger pieces 11 and 12 on the plait forming members, so that the separating plate 27 may be readily manipulated by one hand of the operator at the same time that the plait forming members are spread.

In order to determine the width of the plait being formed, I may provide the screw 31 with a pointer 37 and the separating plate with a graduated scale indicating thereon the width of the plait being formed by the various adjustments of the separating plate.

The operation of my device will be obvious from the above description. The material is folded around the plait forming members by the folding blades, and as the material passes from the plaiting attachment, it is stitched by the needles a, a. lVhen it is desired to adjust the size of the plait, the separating plate is moved outward so as to separate the plait forming members or is moved inwardly so as to allow the spring 9 to automatically close the plaitforming members.

The sliding bar 27 not only serves as a means whereby the plait-forming members may be separated, but it will also form a support for the fabric which extends over the plait-forming members, as clearly shown in Fig. 9, and is especially useful when the plait-forming members are separated. Then again, said forward tapered end of the member 27 will be located centrally between the plait-forming members, and will serve as a means for quickly adjusting said plaitforming members, so they will extend equally to each side of the two needles. It will also serve as a means for locating a stripe in the goods to be plaited, when inserting the same in the attachment, so that said stripe will be located centrally between the edges of the plait.

Having thus particularly described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A sewing machine including in combination, plait forming members, members cooperating therewith to fold the fabric around said plait forming members, manually operated means for separating said plait forming members to vary the size of the plait, and automatic means for closing said plait forming members when released from said manually operated means.

2. A plait forming attachment including plait forming members, means for pivotally supporting said plait forming members to vary the size of the plait, a separating plate for spreading said plait forming members, a spring for closing said plait forming members, and folding blades for folding the fabric around said plait forming members.

3. A plaiting attachment including in combination, plait forming blades, means for pivotally supporting said plait forming blades so that they swing in the same plane, a spring for normally holding the plait forming blades in closed position, a separating plate mounted on top of said plait forming blades, and sliding longitudinally thereon, and means carried by said separating plate for spreading the plait forming members.

4c. A plaiting attachment including in combination, plait forming blades, means for pivotally supporting said plait forming blades so that they swing in the same plane, a separating plate mounted on top of said plait forming blades and sliding longitudinally thereof, means carried by said separating plate for spreading the plait forming members, and a spring for closing said plait forming members when released by said separating plate.

5. A plaiting attachment including in combination, plait forming members, means for pivotally supporting said plait forming members whereby they swing in the same plane, said plait forming members being cut away to form a tapered opening between the same, a lug located between said plait forming members, and means for adjusting said lug for spreading said plait forming members.

6. A plaiting attachment including in combination, plait forming members, means cooperating therewith for folding a fabric around said members to form a plait, means for pivotally supporting said plait forming members so that they swing in the same plane, a stop for positioning the inner edges of said plait forming members when in c011- tact, parallel with the line of feed, means for spreading said plait forming members to vary the size of the plait, and means for closing said plait forming members when released by the spreading means.

7. A plait forming attachment including in combination, plait forming members, means cooperating therewith for folding a fabric around said members to form a plait, means for pivotally supporting said plait forming members so that they swing in the same plane, means for simultaneously separating said plait forming members to vary the size of the plait, and automatic means for simultaneously closing said plait forming members when released by the separating means.

8. A plaiting attachment including in combination, plait forming members, means for pivotally supporting said plait forming members so that they swing in the same plane, a spring for normally holding said plait forming members closed, a separating plate located on top of said plait forming members, and adjustable longitudinally thereon, said plait forming members having cut away portions forming a tapered recess, a lug carried by the separating plate, and lying in said recess, the edges of said recess being serrated to engage said lug.

9. A plaiting attachment including in combination, plait forming members, a supporting plate for spreading said plait forming members, means for adjusting said plate longitudinally, a pointer, and a scale carried by said supporting plate cooperating with the pointer to indicate the width of the plait.

10. A plaiting attachment including in combination, plait forming members, means for pivotally supporting the same so that they swing in the same plane, a spring for holding the plait forming members with their inner edges in contact, a separating plate having longitudinal slots therein, screws extending through said slots for guiding said separating plate, said separating plate lying on top of said plait forming members, and having a forward tapered eX- tension extending to the forward end of the plait forming members when the same are closed.

11. A plaiting attachment including in combination, a yielding supporting bracket, plait forming members pivotally carried thereby, folding blades cooperating with the plait forming members for folding a fabric around the same and means for adjusting vertically the forward end of the plait forming members.

12. A plaiting attachment including in combination, a supporting bracket having its outer end bent backward, a supporting plate carried by said bracket, an adjusting screw for connecting the supporting plate to the bracket whereby the position of the supporting plate may be adjusted vertically, plait forming members pivoted to said supporting plate, means for spreading said plait forming members including a sliding separating plate, and a spring for closing said plait forming members when released by said separating plate.

13. A plaiting attachment including in combination, plait forming members, a fin ger piece carried by each member adjacent the outer end, a separating plate for separating said plait forming members, a finger piece carried by said separating plate and located adjacent the first named finger pieces, whereby said separating plate may be adjusted and the plait-forming members manipulated by one hand of the operator.

141-. A plait-forming attachment, including in combination plait-forming members, means cooperating therewith, to fold the fabric around said plait-forming members, means for holding said plaitforming members normally spring pressed, and means for adjusting the position of said plait-forming members for varying the size of the plait.

15. A plait-forming attachment, including in combination, co-acting plait-forming members, means cooperating therewith to fold the fabric around said plaitforming members, means for adjusting said plaitforming members whereby plaits of different sizes may be made, and means for bodily adjusting vertically said plait-forming members.

16. A plait-forming attachment including in combination, co-acting plait-forming members, means cooperating therewith to fold the fabric around said plait-forming members, means for adjusting said plaitforming members whereby different sized plaits may be formed, means for adjusting vertically the plait-torming members, and means for adjusting vertically the members cooperating with the plait-forming members.

17. A plait-forming attachment including in combination, plait forming members, means cooperating therewith to fold the fabric around said plait forming members, means for adjusting said plait-forming members relatively to one another, a third element cooperating with said plait-forming members and acting as a central support for the fabric, when said plait-forming members are in their adjusted position.

18. In a sewing machine, a plait-forming attachment including in combination, plaitforming members, means cooperating therewith to fold fabric around said plait-forming members, means whereby said plait-forming members may be adjusted relatively to one another, and means for indicating the central position oi said plait-forming device relative to the needles.

19. In a plait-forming attachment including in combination, a plurality of plait-forming members, members cooperating therewith to fold the fabric around said plaitforming members, a support for said plaitforming members, said plait-forming members being pivoted to said support opposite one another, means whereby said members may be moved about their pivotal axes inde pendent of each other to vary the size oi the plait, and automatic means whereby they may be positioned equally on each side of a line passing longitudinally between said blades.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES R. MOFFATT.

lVitnesses:

C. MCNEIL, PHIL LUKANITSCH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

